DC4 is in year 6 in mainstream primary school with an ehcp. Back in 2009 we chose the closest primary school for our eldest rather than the slightly further away catchment school. Closest school was undersubscribed at the time but now with all the new houses being built it's over subscribed. Our younger dc all got in under the sibling rule and now our 3 older ones have left to go to the catchment secondary.
When DC4's ehcp was being done there was a bit of a disagreement between us and the LA as they wanted to move him from the school where he was thriving and happy to the slightly further away catchment school. We asked them not to but we were told we couldn't have an ehcp unless they had permission to contact the catchment school and ask them if they could meet his needs. I said fine and the head of the catchment school phoned the head of his current school and told him that dc4 was moving! The head of his current school was worried he had offended us but it was all sorted out eventually.
Anyway, after a lot of discussion we have decided that dc4 should go to the catchment secondary where 2 of his brothers currently attend. We have talked extensively to the senco and the head and we are happy they can meet his needs. Sorted, we thought. But we found out that although the LA will almost certainly agree to our choice (it is the cheapest option after all), they are also going to send his ehcp to the other 4 secondary schools within a 10 mile radius and get them to write a report on whether they can meet dc4's needs. I told the SENCO that I thought it was a daft way of doing things and she said she agreed. She also said she spends a massive amount of time doing reports about whether the school can meet different children's needs for children who aren't going to end up going there. Meanwhile there are children waiting far too long for autism referrals and EHCP's etc because the senco is expected to waste time on this.